Unidentified Jane Doe Known As ‘Victim 8’ of the ‘Cleveland Torso Murderer’

This is the oldest case I’ve yet to write about on OBG. In June of 1937, the skeletal remains of an unidentified woman were found in Cleveland, Ohio. She was found under the Lorain-Carnegie bridge inside of a burlap bag. Along with her body was a newspaper that was dated June of the previous year, leaving investigators to conclude that she was killed at that time. The newspaper also had a listing for an advertisement of a performance at the Palace Theater. When the theater was contacted, a manager at the location confirmed with detectives that the Nils T. Grantlund Girls did put on a show there, but he didn’t have any information regarding the individual identifications of any of the women in the review. He also said he hadn’t heard anything about any of the ladies being reported missing.

During their investigation, police were notified that their Jane Doe may be a prostitute by the name of Rose Wallace. It was later determined by both Dr. Gerber and Sergeant Hogan that the unidentified woman wasn’t Rose because she only went missing 10 months prior, not a year. Rose’s son, however, believed that the found victim was his mother and Detective Merylo shared the son’s sentiment.

The woman found under the bridge would be commonly referred to as “Victim 8,” as there was a serial killer on the loose in the Cuyahoga Falls and Cleveland area dubbed the “Cleveland Torso Murderer.” There were 12 victims attributed to the killer but police think he, or she, is responsible for dozens of deaths in the cities of Cleveland, Youngstown, and even in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, many associated with missing persons reports. There are a number of unidentified victims in the Cleveland Torso Murderer case. The killings are believed to have stopped in 1938 and the murderer was never found.

It’s been over 80 years and still no one has officially identified who Victim 8 is, but we do know that when she was living, she had a name. A medical examiner stated that she was of a petite stature, standing 4’11” or shorter. She had black, kinky hair and extensive dental work that included gold crowns. All other information was lost with her life.

Please share this article to continue the discussion about what happened to this unknown woman, Victim 8. Her life should not be forgotten and the mystery around her death should be solved.